Hot take: preheating the air fryer is a waste of time for most foods

I always did the preheat dance for 5 minutes before throwing in my chicken wings, but last Tuesday I forgot and tossed them in cold. They came out just as crispy, maybe even better, and saved me 5 minutes. Has anyone else tried skipping the preheat and noticed zero difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

hunt.nora28d ago

I totally get what you're saying with "they came out just as crispy, maybe even better." I tested this myself with frozen fries and chicken tenders. The preheat just dries out the inside before the outside even gets started. Skipping it means the food starts cooking slower, so the inside stays juicier while the outside still crisps up fine. Air fryers get hot so fast anyway that the preheat is basically just wasting electricity. I never preheat anymore and my food tastes the same or better. It's one of those things people do because the manual says to, but real world results don't back it up.

jamesm3828d ago

oh man, you're speaking my language here. i actually tried preheating my air fryer once when i first got it, and i burned my thumb so bad trying to shove frozen fries into a 400 degree basket that i just gave up on the whole idea. now i just dump everything in cold and press start, and honestly? my food hasn't suffered one bit. the whole preheat thing feels like a conspiracy from the oven timer companies or something, like they want us to wait around longer for no reason. plus i figure if the air fryer is hot enough to make noise after 30 seconds, it's hot enough for my tater tots. saves me from burning myself again and saves a little on the electric bill, so it's a win all around.

grantp2818d ago

What is it with manuals making us feel like we're gonna break something if we don't follow every step... like they think we're all baking a soufflé instead of just reheating leftover pizza? I swear, my air fryer's manual probably says to preheat for 5 minutes and then salute the machine before opening it. My buddy preheated his once and his chicken tenders came out drier than a mouthful of sand, meanwhile I just chuck mine in cold and they're perfect every time. Feels like the preheat crowd is just trying to justify the extra 4 minutes they spent staring at a glowing basket for no reason.